SARASOTA — In October, the city will receive an engineer’s report detailing the deterioration of Hart’s Landing and suggesting the possible cost of repairing it.
The bait-and-tackle shop near the foot of the John Ringling Causeway has been closed since last month, when city building officials discovered that the foundation pilings supporting the structure were unsound.
Among the residents concerned about the fate of Hart’s Landing is Ernest “Doc” Werlin, who has committed more than $200,000 to revamping the nearby Causeway Park.
Werlin, a Herald-Tribune financial columnist, said he is worried that if Hart’s does not reopen, the lack of bathroom facilities in the area could defeat his efforts.
Built in 1960, Hart’s Landing has been a popular spot for tourists and residents to stop and feed pelicans or watch anglers haul in their catch. Located about one-fifth of a mile up the bridge from Causeway Park, it offers snacks and bathrooms to visitors in addition to bait and fish food.
The engineer’s report suggesting possible repairs to Hart’s Landing is expected in the second week of October. Tim Litchet, the city’s director of Neighborhoods and Development, said the costs cannot be known until then, but that city staff believed the structure was not beyond saving. “It can be repaired,” Litchet said.
In the meantime, the bait shop and the dock are both off-limits to the pubic because they have been deemed unsafe.
Closed bathrooms
Werlin said the closing complicates his efforts at Causeway Park, which he is hoping to improve with playground equipment, shading and other amenities.
In July, the city accepted a $125,000 donation from Werlin to improve the park. Werlin said he has since raised even more, with the help of others, including $160,000 for park improvements and a $50,000 endowment with the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to maintain it.
The city has tentatively agreed to rename the park “Eloise Werlin Causeway Park” in honor of Werlin’s late wife.
But people visiting the park have counted on being able to use the bathrooms at Hart’s Landing, Werlin said.
With Hart’s Landing closed for the foreseeable future, he wondered if the Causeway Park will be usable. City and county officials have discussed providing, at least temporarily, facilities for the public in the area but have not announced details.
Werlin said he still hopes to re-open the Causeway Park with its improvements on Feb. 24, his late wife’s birthday.
“I’m prepared to put my own money into it if I have to,” he said.
Both city and county staff have been involved in quarterly building inspections at Hart’s Landing, said Jason Bartolone, a Sarasota County spokesman.
A city report said the deterioration of the pilings at Hart’s Landing was only discovered in August, and could only be seen by getting under the building during low tide. While the property is owned by the city, it is managed by Sarasota County, which is responsible for routine maintenance and leases the bait shop to a concessionaire.
According to the most recent interlocal agreement governing Hart’s Landing, major structural repairs are the city’s responsibility.
Hart’s Landing, the bait and tackle shop at the foot of the John Ringling Causeway, will likely remain closed for months because of concerns over its pilings.
Originally published in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
